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I'm pregnant and I can't get my wedding rings off. Help!

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A week ago, I noticed that my wedding rings were fitting too tightly on my finger and starting to dig into my flesh. I don't take them off at night and I never even thought about swelling. Now I think it's too late -- I've tried to get them off with soap and baby oil and nothing works. I don't want to have them cut off -- what can I do?

Mom Answers

Never imagined in a million years, but the windex trick works. I am about 38 weeks pregnant and could not get my rings to budge. My finger was so swollen it was starting to lose feeling. I tried oil, soap and lotion with no avail at all. I was starting worry what I was going to do. I read on the internet about the Windex so thought...what the heck, what did I have to lose? Well, it worked. Can't say it felt really great, but none the less it worked and I don't have to worry about having my rings cut off.

Same thing happen to me with baby # 2. Our jewelry stores here in Marlborough Mass. won't cut them off due to liability. I went to the fire station where the abulances are, and they have the same tool as the jewelry store would have had. Plus, they were ssoooo sweet about it. They even tried motor oil before cutting my lovely rings, but to no avail. Just bring the cut up rings back to a respectable jeweler and they'll have no problem fixing them.
Good luck!

My wife had a ring on her middle finger that became stuck. It was on odd-shape, which made the string method very hard. What finally worked was a combination of cold water, holding a bag of frozen vegetables, wrapping the knuckle with shred-resistant floss, and then spraying with Windex. Phew! Now, on to labor!

Wait! Don't cut your rings off. My grandfather was a doctor (a very long time ago) and was successful at removing every ring shown to him. Here you go....Stick a thin string/thread/dental floss under your ring up toward your wrist (it will be a tight squeeze) leaving a short tail to use later. Then snug-ly wrap your entire finger down toward the tip with the remaining thread, keeping each wrap close to the one before. Holding the thread at the tip of your finger in place, begin unwinding the thread from up by your knuckle, while pulling with gentle pressure down toward your fingertip. Your ring should come off with little effort and a bit of patience! Good luck!

I rarely take my wedding ring off. So when I realized it was getting tight, I tried everything to get my rings off. For a couple days I tried lotion, Windex, avoiding sodium, etc. Finally after being in a cool swimming pool for an 1.5 hours (DS swim lessons & prenatal water aerobics), I noticed that my fingers didn't seem as swollen. I was finally able to get my rings off.

Here's what I learned from first-hand experience. Do not panic, which I did on the first night when my wedding band would not come off before I went to bed. My husband tried Vaseline and liquid soap, neither of which worked. Instead, my finger swelled up like a balloon and got very sore from the pulling and tugging. The next morning, I tried to relax and started drinking water, tea, and decaf coffee, and avoided anything salty throughout the day. I drank more water before going to bed, which meant I was up for most of the night going to the bathroom. However, it seemed like a small price to pay, when the alternative involved cutting my ring off. On the morning of the third day, I soaked my finger in ice water, and then elevated my hand for 15 minutes. Next, I sprayed my finger liberally with Windex. Apparently, the key is to twist (not pull) the ring up the finger. It hurts like hell, but it will eventually come off. Mine did!

In addition to the suggestions for soaking in ice etc, and putting lotion or baby oil on, I reccomend gently twisting the ring off, rather than just trying to pull it straight off. Just slowly and patiently twist it further up your finger and then wiggle it gently over the knuckle. The slower you go the better- for some reason trying really hard to pull if off with force seems to backfire. It also helps to have some one else do it for you- have them gently hold your hand in theirs and use their other hand to work the ring off, while you try to relax! And I agree, if you do need to get it cut off, make sure you go to a reputable jeweler, one who can not only cut it off (they'll have a special tool for this) but who can also look at it before they cut, so they know the best place to cut it off to minimize the damage and make repairs easier and less noticable. Good Luck!

I am 39 weeks and I may be induced this week since my baby is large. This is my second baby. My hands are so swollen that I could not get my wedding ring off last night. Although it did not hurt at all, I wanted to take it off now so that I would not have to risk getting it cut off during labor. I did not know about windex, but I tried to ice it. Well, I must have iced it for too long because it became numb, and the swelling actually got worse. I tried everything I could to get my ring off, but nothing worked. I was in so much pain that I could hardly sleep. Finally at 4am, I begged my husband to cut it off. He was successful, but I was devestated. It was very painful both physically and emotionally. However, I was glad to get it off. But, my finger is still numb and extremely painful. I feared that since my circulation was cut off for a few hours that I may have permanantly damaged my finger. I called the nurse this morning, and she said that it would go back to normal with time and that it is nothing to worry about. I think it also hurts so much because I probably damaged the nuckle some. I am trying to soak in epsom salt, which does sooth it a bit. But, I am still scared. Has anyone else suffered like this? This is the worst experience I have had in either of my pregnancies. I recommend that you take your ring off as soon as it gets a bit tight. I am hopeful that I can get it repaired at a jewler, but with the extreme pain I was in last night, I just could not wait until today to get it cut off. I feel so stupid because I should have known better to take it off a long time ago. But, please learn from my mistake. My finger is in so much pain and my heart aches a bit too that my wonderful husband had to cut it off. If you know any solutions or advice to help me deal with the pain, please let me know. Thank you and God Bless.

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